Illegal voters put our democracy and sovereignty in jeopardy
All must be 'born or naturalized' in U.S. to vote in federal elections
By Antonio Benedi
WashingtonTimes.com
Illegal immigrants voting in U.S. elections
illustration by Greg Groesch / The Washington Times
In a few months, we will have the most consequential elections of our lifetime.
The president and vice president and the balance of power in Congress, the House and the Senate will be decided. Will this White House continue to lead by radical socialist policies, or will we establish the checks and balances that our founders established when forming our republic?
The most critical issue has to do with our sovereignty. As a nation governed by the rule of law, it seems that Democrats have abandoned our Constitution. The question is who exactly is qualified to vote in the United States. For the past few elections, people voted who did not meet the constitutional qualifications.
There have been accusations of voter suppression of late. I categorically state that voter suppression does exist. Most prevalent today is the nullification of constitutionally legal votes by U.S. citizens, by every illegal vote cast by noncitizens.
Many states do not require proof of citizenship. The Constitution’s requirement of voter eligibility states that a person needs to be 18 years old and, most importantly, a U.S. citizen. As stated in the Constitution in Amendment 14, Section 1, “All persons born or naturalized” are citizens of the U.S. and the state in which they reside.
Why, then, are Democrats in Congress and the White House pushing to allow noncitizens to vote in our federal elections?
I was born in Cuba. My family and I came to the United States in 1960, fleeing the takeover by Fidel Castro and his communist revolutionaries. Many Cubans fled in the same manner. We were welcomed with open arms by this great country. We, in turn, respect and love our adopted country and abide by its laws. Many Cuban refugees fought in the Vietnam War in the 1960s, and many have served our country in the military and elsewhere, as I have.
We strove to make a difference in this great nation. One of our goals was to participate fully in this democracy. We waited our turn and became naturalized U.S. citizens.
Becoming a U.S. citizen was one of the happiest moments of my life and of my family’s. We wanted to be able to vote and contribute to our communities and our nation. We do these actions in order to fulfill our civic duties and our obligations. When my family and I registered to vote, we needed to show proper identification and proof of citizenship. This means we needed either a birth certificate or our naturalization papers. This was a requirement to ensure that only U.S. citizens of proper age would be able to vote.
Now, we see differing voting requirements across the country. The Constitution allows the states some leeway in how they conduct their elections, with early voting as an example. Most states require that you be a U.S. citizen to vote. Some do not. Some do not even require formal identification.
It is the law that you must have proof of U.S. citizenship, either by birth or naturalization, for federal elections. This federal requirement includes the election of members of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the president and vice president. In all states, ballots have the “federal” candidates that require U.S. citizenship to vote for, along with the local and state candidates that may not have such citizenship requirements.
No differentiation or distinction is made at the voting centers of whether the voter is a U.S. citizen or a noncitizen. They all can vote for all candidates. This is a clear violation of the law when voting for “federal” candidates. We have allowed illegal aliens, foreign nationals and criminals to vote for the highest offices of our country. No other country allows such a travesty. This illegal practice puts our country in danger.
How can we have honest, clean elections when we do not even require a photo ID? In the states that require identification, only a driver’s license or another form of ID is asked for. No proof of citizenship is asked for. Anyone can get a driver’s license. This lack of verification can lead to our elections being compromised by outside forces that do not have our best interests at heart.
Our current administration and Department of Justice have done all they can to get rid of the requirements needed to vote in this country. This was done for political reasons. This was done without any regard for the sanctity of our votes.
With so many immigrants entering this country illegally, many from countries that are enemies of the United States and who pose a clear and present danger to our citizens. We have witnessed violent crimes committed by criminals who are just walking across our border without proper “vetting” of any kind. We have an administration that is bypassing Congress and printing millions of green cards. It is only a matter of time before these noncitizens will vote and shape our country’s future.
There has been a catastrophic increase of young single men crossing our southern border. The increase in immigrants from China, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela is no accident. We have terrorist groups sending their members to enter our country. It’s only a matter of time before we have terrorist attacks in our homeland. This administration and our invisible border czar are purposely absent, a clear dereliction of duty. No other country would allow noncitizens to vote and influence its future. If we continue on this destructive path of defiance and complacency, we will lose our voices and our republic itself.
Some states have ignored the voting requirements. But what is clear is that citizenship is mandatory to vote for “federal office.” Our secretaries of state need to enforce state and federal laws to ensure we do not lose our God-given right to govern ourselves. Our Founding Fathers fought for the right to govern ourselves and not to be dictated by foreign forces.
As a proud, voting citizen of the United States, I call on all responsible authorities to enforce the law, stop this lunacy by the Democrats, and ensure that our elections are legal and our voters are U.S. citizens. Voters must have been born in the United States or be naturalized citizens. It’s in our Constitution.
A former president said before leaving office that the United States is “not an exceptional country.” That president’s party is working hard to make that so. I strongly believe in my heart and our past leadership in the world and that we are indeed an exceptional country. Let’s pray it stays that way. It’s up to every one of us to make our concerns known and our voices heard,
• Antonio Benedi is a former presidential commissioned officer and special assistant to President George H.W. Bush and a naturalized U.S. citizen.